Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Cleopatra Jones Blu-ray Movie Review

Ask Butta how she zones.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 1, 2019

Although the Pam Grier-led Coffy rushed production to land in theaters a few months earlier, Jack Starrett's Cleopatra Jones (1973) is technically the first blaxploitation film with a female lead. Striking 6'2" model Tamara Dobson stars as our comically overpowered title character, a bad-ass government agent who has seemingly mastered every conceivable skill known to man...and looks great doing them all, of course. Untouchable fashion sense? Check. Shrewd negotiation tactics? Check. Driving stick? Check. Riding a dirt bike? Uh, check. Amazing comebacks? Double check. Outstanding hand-to-hand combat skills that make every kick, punch, chop, and takedown look believable? Well...

Cleo’s real talent is for putting out fires, but starts the first one by destroying a valuable poppy field in Turkey that belongs to a ruthless drug kingpin known as “Mommy” (Shelley Winters). She retaliates by using crooked connections inside the LAPD to raid the B&S House (that’s “Brothers and Sisters”), a shelter for recovering drug addicts operated by Cleo’s main squeeze, Reuben Masters (the late, great Bernie Casey). Naturally, this only makes things worse: Mommy’s empire is gradually picked apart by Cleo and her allies, led by LAPD Captain Crawford (Dan Frazer, best known for Kojak), who climb the ranks to hopefully stop her firm grip on the community. It won’t be easy, but Cleopatra -- armed to the teeth, and cruising in her black 1973 Corvette Stingray -- is clearly the best woman for the job.

While the above makes Cleopatra Jones out to be an action-packed spectacle, it relies much more on dialogue and at least a half-dozen one-on-one interrogations as our heroine hunts down Mommy and her goons. Other larger-than-life figures get in on the action too, including “Doodlebug” Simpkins (the elastic-faced Antonio Fargas) and a low-level drug dealer that nearly gets the business end of Cleo’s switchblade in his own run-down apartment. While these encounters tend to bleed together as her journey progresses, they’re broken up by a handful of memorable chase sequences and set pieces. The best of these is a thrilling car chase in which Cleo -- pushing the limits of that aforementioned Stingray -- evades almost a half-dozen pursuers through city streets and, eventually, the LA River. It’s skillfully done -- not quite on the level of The French Connection, but easily Cleopatra Jones’ most thrilling sequence. The junkyard climax, though entirely predictable and less thrilling to boot, is a low- budget crowd-pleaser. Aside from that, most of the highlights are comedic: snappy one-liners, clever comebacks, and impassioned speeches range from unintentionally hilarious to actually hilarious, which maintains a brisk and entertaining vibe that wraps up before wearing out its welcome.

Cleopatra Jones is hardly in the upper tier of its genre, and probably not even the best blaxploitation movie released that year; both Ganja & Hess and the aforementioned Coffy are both more entertaining, more original, or both. Yet it’s still a pretty great production despite those fundamental flaws, which also extend to lackluster direction and hit-or-miss widescreen framing. The constant scenery-chewing (especially by Shelley Winters, who spares no expense when it comes to berating her underlings), gratuitous costume changes, and colorful characters make this production too enthusiastic to fail -- it’s no wonder why Cleopatra Jones scored well with audiences in 1973 and, for the most part , holds up pretty well today. Die-hard fans and curious newcomers alike should appreciate Warner Archive Collection’s new Blu-ray package which, as always, focuses on the A/V presentation instead of bonus features.

Cleopatra Jones Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its approximate original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, Cleopatra Jones looks outstanding on Warner Archive's recent Blu-ray. Its 1080p transfer is advertised as being sourced from a brand-new 2019 master and, while its limited budget and not-so-memorable cinematography don't make it one of the slickest looking catalog titles in recent memory, this authentic and film-like presentation is certainly the best it's ever gotten on home video. Dirt and debris are basically absent from start to finish, image detail is impressive (especially during exterior shots), and the film's varied color palette fares extremely well at times. From the endless costume changes of Cleopatra and "Mommy" to the colorful 1970s signage and even the orange burst of a poppy field bombing (seen above), plenty of visual surprises make themselves known along the way. Black levels are mostly deep and, though some of the darkest scenes appear to exhibit signs of crush, this is likely more of a source material issue than any fault of the disc or its creation.

While the visual highlights are clearly impressive, the bulk of Cleopatra Jones isn't exactly a feast for the eyes: there's an awful lot of drab and earth-toned interior dialogue sequences, while its era-specific film stock doesn't lend itself to as punchy and crisp an appearance as we're used to seeing on some remastered catalog titles. 1970s cinema purists, especially those familiar with the blaxploitation genre, will feel right at home, however: this Blu-ray's accurate presentation of the film's theatrical appearance is another fine example of Warner Archive keeping it real.

Cleopatra Jones Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, though also limited by design, sounds excellent and retains the film's original mono presentation. There's a surprising amount of depth and dynamic range, from overlapping conversations and action sequences to the jazzy, memorable score by J. J. Johnson. (Interestingly enough, Johnson only contributed to five movie soundtracks and all were released within three years' time, with other highlights being Across 110th Street and the similarly underrated Willie Dynamite, also new to Blu-ray.) Still, the bulk of Cleopatra Jones is one dialogue scene after another, which sounds very clear with no sync issues, dropouts, or other defects. As with the video presentation, this mix represents a commitment to accuracy and purists will be delighted with how good it sounds.

Optional English SDH subtitles are included during the main feature, although Warner Archive's ALL CAPS format again rears its ugly head here. See one of the 20 screenshots for a particularly good example of what to expect.

Cleopatra Jones Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with all Warner Archive Blu-rays, Cleopatra Jones only includes extras from their parent company's DVD editions.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:40, 1080p) - It's in rough shape but wrings out a lot of excitement in just under three minutes. If nothing else, it'll make you appreciate how much work went into remastering the main feature.

Cleopatra Jones Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite its lofty ambitions and a handful of truly memorable scenes, Cleopatra Jones doesn't make as big an impact as it clearly wants to. Still, there's a lot of fun to be had while it lasts: it's got no shortage of colorful characters and the film breezes by in less than 90 minutes...so if lightweight humor (unintentional or not) is your thing, you could certainly do a lot worse. Warner Archive's Blu-ray looks and sounds as great as expected, but there's not a lot of content here for this asking price. Perhaps they should have thrown in Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold to make this a fun double-feature? Nonetheless, it's recommended for established fans and newcomers should enjoy it too.